All Things Israel and Palestine
Trump wasn't kidding. There really are people who will excuse anything he does. Anything.
There are two tells for me about a person's judgement: smoking and MAGA. These folks have every right to their choice, but I'm keeping a safe distance.NPR reporter left stunned by Dem voters' thoughts on Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsqDduwcI0sI started to watch and then saw it was from the least trusted network and admitted liars Fox News.
Your link got me doing a bit more research on the subject, Gallop just put out some information that correlates with what you presented.
ECONOMY
MAY 6, 2024 Gallup "WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With Americans less optimistic about the state of the U.S. economy than they have been in recent months and concern about inflation persisting, their confidence in President Joe Biden to recommend or do the right thing for the economy is among the lowest Gallup has measured for any president since 2001."
"Forty-six percent of U.S. adults say they have "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of confidence in Trump to do or recommend the right thing for the economy, while fewer say the same of Biden (38%), Powell (39%), and Democratic (38%) and Republican (36%) leaders in Congress.
To a large degree, this reflects partisanship; Democrats are confident in Biden, Powell and Democratic congressional leaders, while Republicans are confident in Trump and Republican congressional leaders. Partisans have little to no confidence in the opposing party’s leaders. While political independents are not overly confident in any of the leaders, they have the most confidence in Trump."
"Gallup has tracked confidence in presidents’ ability to do the right thing for the economy annually since George W. Bush took office in 2001. Bush, Barack Obama and Biden (to a lesser extent) enjoyed majority-level economic confidence ratings at the start of their presidencies, while the public's confidence in Trump never rose above his initial 48% reading. Trump’s current rating is essentially tied with that of his last year in office.
Obama’s confidence ratings were at least 50% each year except for one (42% in 2014). Biden has fared much worse as confidence in his economic management dropped precipitously in 2022 from 57% to 40% amid sharply higher inflation, and it has been below 40% since then. Only Bush earned lower confidence from Americans than Biden has since last year -- by the end of his second term, amid the Great Recession, when just 34% of Americans expressed confidence in his economic abilities."
"Americans' Confidence in President to Do the Right Thing for the U.S. Economy,"
Biden is at 38%
While Trump was at 47% before he left office, and never fell below 42% much of his time in office he remained over 45%.
To check out more, and view charts source https://news.gallup.com/poll/644750/con … y-low.aspxThere is how people FEEL about something and then there are the facts about the same thing. People may FEEL that way about Biden, but they can't point to any facts that supports their feeling.
People usually vote based on their feelings of things.
That is unfortunately true. Our founders had hoped our citizens were virtuous enough to overcome self-interest and use reason to cast their votes. Hasn't turned out that way.
That was one reason why there is an electoral college system and senators were not directly elected by citizens. They were very afraid of something like MAGA developing or the equivalent on the Left.
" People may FEEL that way about Biden, but they can't point to any facts that supports their feeling."
Then they look at what is occurring in our streets, at our border, and best of all they turn their pockets inside out, and find they can't borrow any more to pay bills. They look clearly at the facts, they point at Joe Biden and his poor job record, his weak governing, and his failing cognitive state. In my view, most realize they need a new president to dig them out of their deep holes. For those that don't, I will be kind and leave it there.
You can listen to and believe admitted liars who manipulate the news to support the right-wing cause, I chose not to. Instead, I listen to news that is known not to lie on purpose and generally present a fair and balanced view.
Biden Donors FUNDED Anti Israel Protest, Democrats SCREWED, Deep State Has NO CHOICE But Trump 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6WWaIHdvroHamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Peace is at hand again. No, wait. Israel doesn't agree yet, they are sending a "low-level" negotiating team to Qatar to see what it is all about. Why are they dragging their feet?
Well, maybe because there was a bait-and-switch going on here.
You see, Israel and Egypt worked out a framework a little while ago. At first blush, it seemed some version of this is what Hamas was agreeing to. Not so, say the Israeli's, it is nothing like what they agreed to. In fact, it has a red line in it - a permanent ceasefire.
While I don't like Netanyahu and think is no less a terrorist as Hamas, I still support Israel's "no permanent ceasefire" position. To me, that is still self-destructive given Hamas' (not Palestine's) intent to destroy them. Consequently, a temporary ceasefire should be all Hamas gets until they agree to turn over all of their weapons.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/06/middleea … index.htmlIsrael is now entering the last hamas stronghold of Rafah.
https://time.com/6975185/israel-rafah-m … ease-fire/
This will mean the end of hamas.
I believe when this is done, Gaza will have to remain under military occupation for the foreseeable future. I don't see a way around it. This is the only way to guarantee Israel's protection for its citizens.It has to be this way Mike! Hamas MUST be completely eliminated! Indoctrinated children of Gaza will have to be counseled, deprogrammed, loved through it, witnessed to about the love of Jesus Christ. I don't how to fix them, in order for them to go forward with a normal, happy, fulfilled life. Hopefully they can be saved from a life spent in total HATE of the Jewish people!
There is no other way around any of this.Absolutely, it's crucial to halt the activities of Hamas to prevent further unrest.
So long as people like Netanyahu is in charge, Hamas will always have a willing stream of recruits. By his indiscriminate bombing, he has turned at least two generations of Palestinians into permanent enemies.
Try 75 years of Palestinians preparing for just such a day as Oct 7... Try decades of Palestinians teaching their children hate, and to kill Jewish people. Try Palestinians voting in one terrorist group after another to push their vile ideologies.
Elections in Gaza and the West Bank have been few and far between and are certainly not free and fair when they have happened. Gaza hasn't had an election in almost 20 years. And the West Bank hasn't done much better.
Looking back at 2021..
"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called off next month's parliamentary elections after challengers from his own party threatened to weaken his hold on power.
Abbas' decision, which came just two days before campaigning was supposed to begin, indefinitely postponed the May 22 vote and apparently a July presidential election as well. The postponement angered Palestinians eager to replace a president who has not held a vote in a decade-and-a-half
In Gaza, Hamas’s tenure since seizing power in 2007 can be characterized in similar terms. In short, they are authoritarians, not democrats, and their underlying motivations for holding elections have nothing to do with restoring the democratic process. There is no Democratic process. The key to a post-war landscape is a Palestinian vote.
"Recent polling from December (2019) shows that Hamas leaders and Abbas are very unpopular, with 61% wanting the latter to resign and only 31% believing he is the best candidate in his party."
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/elec … e-or-ploy/
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/29/99206500 … -electionsI think the palestinian people are responsible for who they choose to govern them.
Yes, palestinian people are responsible for making changes.
So, they either die when hamas goes to war with Israel or they die when they try to overthrow a terrorist organization that governs them. Should they try to overthrow hamas, I'm certain they would get significant support from Israel and others around the world."I think the palestinian people are responsible for who they choose to govern them."
Would it be okay if the governance that you chose in 2006 decided to never let you vote again? But let's delve into the facts a bit more.
Again...
64.2% of Gaza are 25 years old or younger. You are required to be 18 years old to vote, meaning you have to be at least 35 years old to have voted in the previous Gaza election.
Meaning?
GAZA 2006 elections:
-55.5% did NOT vote Hamas
-45.5% of voters for Hamas
-77% voter participation
=35% population voted Hamas
Population was 1.35m so 64% of today's 2.1m, given many were children in 2006, assume only 50% of 45.5%=
=MAX 22.75% OF CURRENT GAZA POPULATION VOTED HAMAS.
These people need to be allowed to vote.
In my opinion, it is a concerning posture to say that a civilian is a legitimate military target because of how they may have voted.
https://www.iemed.org/publication/the-y … -of-hamas/
https://www.indexmundi.com/gaza_strip/d … ofile.htmlThat is all well and good.
I know things about Ukraine because of having relative from there.
They removed a president that was not serving the needs of the people.
It is called the "Revolution of Dignity" in Ukraine.
It happens.
palestinians can do it as well. They just have to have the desire to do it. I think their inaction in trying to remove hamas is an example of their support for them.Overthrowing a government, even in a pseudo-state like Gaza, is much easier said than done. This is doubly true when the government is a violent organization of religious fanatics. I would assume Gazans would prefer not to be governed by Hamas militants, but they can’t simply start up a campaign to get rid of them, not without grave risks to their lives, livelihoods, and families. For one thing, they are too busy struggling to survive from day to day. For another, Hamas cements its hold on power through an outsize role in the Gazan economy: It is the only organization that can reliably pay salaries, it maintains a stranglehold on inflows of foreign aid, and it keeps Gaza dependent on Israel for water and electricity by refusing to build infrastructure . If your ability to feed your family depends on Hamas patronage, even if you’d like to stand up to them, would you risk it?
These people are truly victims. In some sense, if Israel were to destroy Hamas for good in this war (a doubtful proposition), it would be doing the Gazans a favor. However, the Israeli government’s thirst for revenge is not coupled with any plans for what comes after: Who will rebuild Gaza, who will govern it, and how will it avoid falling into an even greater humanitarian catastrophe? It is easy not to think about these questions if your starting point is that the Gazans had it coming.
If the "war " leads to both Hamas and Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition losing popular legitimacy and exiting the scene, it would be a silver lining to a very dark cloud since neither Israelis nor Palestinians deserve the mediocre leadership they’ve been saddled with. But at least the Israelis have some power to change that if they want to. The people of Gaza do not.
Collective blame and collective punishment, after all, should have a special resonance for the Jewish people."but they can’t simply start up a campaign to get rid of them, not without grave risks to their lives, livelihoods, and families."
Sounds like the story behind every citizenry that rose up and removed horrible leaders. This includes Ukraine, The United States, Mexico and many others. This is the cost of freedom.
"Who will rebuild Gaza, who will govern it, and how will it avoid falling into an even greater humanitarian catastrophe?"
That is being discussed.
"Netanyahu presents post-war plan to cabinet, aims for ‘local officials’ to govern Gaza
‘Day after Hamas’ paper sees Egypt cooperation to end smuggling; Arab countries funding reconstruction; no unilateral Palestinian state; no UNRWA; Gaza ‘de-radicalized,’ demilitarized
Notably, the document of principles Netanyahu presented to security cabinet ministers at Thursday night’s meeting does not specifically name the PA or rule out its participation in the post-war governance of Gaza.
Instead, it says that civil affairs in Gaza will be run by “local officials” who have “administrative experience” and who are not tied to “countries or entities that support terrorism.”
The IDF will maintain an indefinite freedom to operate throughout the entire Strip to prevent the resurgence of terror activity, the document says, describing this as an intermediate-term principle.
The plan states that Israel will move forward with its already-in-motion project to establish a security buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the Strip’s border, adding that it will remain in place “as long as there is a security need for it.”
This plan is directly at odds with one of the Biden administration’s own principles for post-war Gaza, which states that there will be no reduction in the enclave’s territory.
The document presented by Netanyahu also offers the most concrete details to date regarding Israel’s plans for the Egyptian-Gaza border, which has been plagued by smuggling both above and below ground. It states that Israel will enforce a “southern closure” on the border to prevent the revival of terror activity.
Also in the intermediate stage, Israel will maintain security control “over the entire area west of Jordan,” from the land, air and sea “to prevent the strengthening of terrorist elements in the [West Bank] and the Gaza Strip and to thwart threats from them towards Israel,” the document states.
Netanyahu’s plan envisions Gaza’s “complete demilitarization… beyond what is required for the needs of maintaining public order.” It adds that Israel will be responsible for realizing this goal for the foreseeable future, potentially leaving the door open for other forces to finish the job down the line.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/presentin … vern-gaza/
So you want to convert the Palestinians to Christianity?
I was discussing children brought up to hate and how they might be turned around. Offering suggestions, but admitting that I don't know how to fix it.
But yes, as a Christian, naturally I want non-believers to accept Christ! Do you have a point?
Israelis outing Netanyahu's torture camps. The whistleblowers "They paint a picture of a facility where doctors sometimes amputated prisoners’ limbs due to injuries sustained from constant handcuffing; of medical procedures sometimes performed by underqualified medics earning it a reputation for being “a paradise for interns”; and where the air is filled with the smell of neglected wounds left to rot."
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/10/middleea … index.htmlAmerican doctors say they cannot evacuate Gaza amid Israeli siege
Two American doctors who volunteered to provide medical care in Gaza say they were stuck in the enclave without safe passage Monday following Israel’s seizure of the Rafah border.
Both were scheduled to leave Rafah Monday so another mission could take over the aid work but have since been told there is no longer a safe route to exit the besieged strip after Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing last week. They were both sheltering at the hospital Monday evening as they waited for a way out...there were potentially 20 to 30 more Americans along with them at the European Hospital who were also unable to evacuate.
The Rafah crossing into Egypt has been closed since Israeli troops seized it a week ago. Israel gained full control over the entry and exit of people and goods for the first time since it withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, though it has long maintained a blockade of the coastal enclave in cooperation with Egypt.
No food has reportedly entered the two main border crossings in southern Gaza for the past week, a region that had been sheltering 1.3 million Palestinians, many of whom have fled since Israel took control of the crossing.
Both doctors say they have seen conditions get worse each day, with little to no supplies left to treat patients, many of whom are children.
“You’re used to seeing patients improve the more you work with them, but here, they just deteriorate,” he said. “You see wounds with broken bones underneath and mangled tissues…the wounds are different and more horrific and severe over here just due to the mechanism of injuries.”
Sabha said the sanitary conditions were abhorrent, with flies, mosquitoes and other insects constantly in the operating room and wound care areas in the intensive care unit.
The U.N. warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the other main crossing into Gaza, and U.N. officials say northern Gaza is experiencing “full-blown famine.”
Stop the genocide!The Israel war on Palestine even flowed over into this years ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ causing much controversy – as summarised in this short video:- https://youtu.be/1WsLMJbbh2o
Background info into Eurovision:
• Eurovision is meant to be apolitical and was launched in 1956 in an attempt to help bring peace in Europe (the ‘make love not war’ principle.) e.g. prior to the 2nd world war European countries had been raging constant wars with each other for over 2 millennia.
• The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event (across the whole of Europe, and beyond) that’s been held every May since 1956. And these days (using modern technology) the viewing public across Europe (and beyond) vote (by telephone) to select the winner.
• It was Eurovision that shot ABBA to worldwide fame, when ABBA won the 1974 Eurovision.
• Eurovision is a big annual event in Europe in that the viewing figures of Eurovision are larger than the viewing figures of the American Super Bowl.5 Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire in northern Gaza
The Israeli military said Thursday that five soldiers were killed and seven injured in a friendly fire incident in northern Gaza, amid renewed battles in the area against regrouped Hamas militants.
"An initial investigation into the deaths of five IDF soldiers reveals that IDF tanks, located dozens of meters away, identified a weapon and fired shells at an IDF force nearby," the IDF said in a statement.
"This force had entered the northern part of Gaza and occupied buildings along a logistic route. The tanks fired two shells for unclear reasons, resulting in seven more soldiers being injured, three severely."
Seven months into its war aimed at eliminating Hamas, Israeli forces are again engaged in intense fighting in areas of northern Gaza the IDF said earlier had been cleared, renewing doubts over the government's strategy in the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under growing pressure from the U.S. to lay out a plan for post-war Gaza, and on Wednesday he faced rare public criticism on the issue from within his own War Cabinet.
In a nationally televised statement, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant challenged Netanyahu over what he said was a refusal to discuss the issue. He said this would lead to Israel being forced to rule over the Palestinian enclave again, which he said he opposed. We must make tough decisions for the future of our country, favoring national priorities above all other possible considerations, even with the possibility of personal or political costs," Gallant said.Do you think there has ever been an armed conflict that didn't have deaths from friendly fire?
Trust me, it has happened many times.Seems to happen a lot with the IDF, don't you think?
Not really. This is urban warfare. This is acknowledged as the most difficult type of fighting. Close quarters, Going from building to building. I'm surprised there hasn't been more.
Israel needs new leadership. Like his mirror image, Trump, Netanyahu has failed his people and his soldiers. (I wonder if he thinks his soldiers are "losers" like Trump does of American soldiers?)
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Requests Warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas Leaders
The International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the Oct. 7 attack and the war in Gaza.
In a statement, Mr. Khan said he was applying for arrest warrants for Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. He also said he was requesting warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
While Mr. Khan’s request must still be approved by judges from the court, the announcement is a blow to the government of Mr. Netanyahu and will likely fuel international criticism of Israel’s strategy in its seven-month campaign against Hamas and the war’s toll on Gaza’s civilian population.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli government or from Hamas. Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction in Israel or Gaza. But if warrants are issued, those named could be arrested if they travel to one of the court’s 124 member nations, which include most European countries but not the United States.
The I.C.C. is the world’s only permanent international court with the power to prosecute individuals accused of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It cannot try defendants in absentia, but its warrants can make international travel difficult.
LinkI saw - puts them right up there with Putin - none value innocent lives.
I just noticed that if the Hamas leader or Putin traveled to the US, we wouldn't arrest them.In that article it says "By applying for the arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders in the same action, Khan’s office risks attracting criticism that it places a terror organization and an elected government on an equivalent footing." - I have to disagree.
Technically, Hamas is elected (in the same fashion that Putin is "elected"). Also, it is not the "Government" that is being sought, but individuals who are responsible for atrocities.
So, no, I do not agree that the the legitimate government is being put on equal footing with the illegitimate government of Gaza. It is two terrorists, Netanyahu and Sinwar who are being put on equal footing.Do you really think this means anything?
Israel, the United States, as well as russia and many other developed countries are not members of the UCC. This is an organization that believes it should have the right to arrest members of the American military for things that happened in Afghanistan.
It has no enforcement ability. It is a joke.It is a joke to try to hold war criminals accountable?
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